Early Buddhist Suttras

The Ghandaran (in Gāndhāri) Buddhist texts are the oldest manuscripts yet discovered, dating from about the 1st century CE. They are written in Gāndhāri, and are possibly the oldest extant Indic texts altogether. They were sold to European and Japanese institutions and individuals, and are currently being recovered and studied by several universities. The Gandhāran texts are in a considerably deteriorated form (their survival alone is extraordinary), but educated guesses about reconstruction have been possible in several cases using both modern preservation techniques and more traditional textual scholarship, comparing previously known Pali and Sankrit versions of texts. Other Gandhāran Buddhist texts—"several and perhaps many"—have been found over the last two centuries, but lost or destroyed.
The texts are attributed to the Dharmaguptaka sect by Richard Salomon, the leading scholar in the field, and the British Library scrolls "represent a random but reasonably representative fraction of what was probably a much larger set of texts preserved in the library of a monastery of the Dharmaguptaka sect in Nagarāhāra."
(http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=1673A42600D30B6545689A743082C31D.journals?fromPage=online&aid=5670368)

The Nikayas and the Agamas are the early Buddhist suttras which contain what the Buddha had taught for 45 years, including His fundamental teachings about the Four Noble Truths, Dependent Origination, and No Self.  Many Buddhist scholars and historians usually consider these suttras the most authentic and reliable sources of what the Buddha actually taught.

After the Second Buddhist Council (100 years after the Buddha's demise), the first two schools Sthaviravada/Sthaviravadin (Thuong toa/Truong lao bo) and Mahasamghika (Dai chung bo) of the original Sangha continued to rely on these suttras to disseminate Buddhism orally.  Later, these first two early schools split into further divisions, and ended up numbering, traditionally, about 18 or 20 schools. 
The Sthaviras later divided into other schools such as the Sarvastivada (Nhat thiet huu bo) school and the Vibhajjavada (Phân biệt thuyết bộ, Sanskrit: Vibhajyavāda) school. The resultant Vibhajjavāda branch gave rise to a number of schools such as the Tāmraparnīya (later called Theravada), the Dharmaguptara school, the Mahisasaka school, and the Kasyapiya school.  The Mahasamghika was divided into: Ekavyaharaka, Lokottaravada, Bahusrutiya, Prajnaptivada, and Caitika.

The five Nikayas were not recorded in any written form even though they had been thoroughly reviewed and considered complete by the Tamrasatiyah (Đồng diệp bộ) sect, which belonged to the Vibhajyavada (Phân biệt thuyết bộ, the name of the Theravada school at the time) during the Third Buddhist Council.  These suttras continued to be orally disseminated in Sri Lanka by Mahinda until the Fourth Theravada Buddhist Council (83 BC), when they were recorded on palm leaves for the first time.

According to Robert Thurman, the term Nikaya Buddhism was coined by Dr. Masatoshi Nagatomi (Harvard University), in order to find a more acceptable and more neutral way than "Hinayana" to refer to the early Buddhist schools and their practice.  Nikaya is also a term used in Theravada Buddhism to refer to a subschool or subsect within Theravada.

The five Nikayas suttras include:

• the Dīgha Nikāya, the collection of long (Pāḷi: dīgha) discourses
• the Majjhima Nikāya, the collection of middle-length (majjhima) discourses
• the Samyutta Nikāya, the collection of thematically linked (samyutta) discourses
• the Anguttara Nikāya, the "gradual collection" (discourses grouped by content enumerations)
• the Khuddaka Nikāya, the "minor collection"

[Trường bộ kinh (Digha - Nikàya), Trung bộ kinh (Majhima - Nikàya), Tương ưng bộ kinh (Samyutta - Nikàya), Tăng chi bộ kinh (Anguttara - Nikàya), Tiểu bộ kinh (Khuddaka - Nikàya)]

During the Fourth (Mahayana) Buddhist Council, which took place around the second century AD under King Kanishkha, the Agamas, the Vinayas, and some Buddhist treatises were recorded in written form for the first time.

Āgama refers to a collection of discourses of early Buddhism preserved in Chinese. Sanskrit, Gāndhāri, and Tibetan translation.  Sometimes āgama is used to refer to a class of scripture.  Its meaning can encompass the Sutta-pitaka, which the Theravada tradition holds to be the oldest and most historically accurate representation of the teachings of  Buddha, together with the Vinaya-pitaka.
There are four extant collections of āgamas, and one for which we have only references and fragments (the Kṣudrakāgama). The four extant collections are preserved in their entirety only in Chinese translation (āgama: 阿含經), although small portions of all four have recently been discovered in Sanskrit, and portions of four of the five āgamas are preserved in Tibetan.

These āgama sutras correspond to the first four Nikayas (and parts of the fifth) of the Pitaka of the Pali Canon. In this sense, āgama is a synonym for one of the meanings of nikaya.  The āgamas have been compared to the Pali Canon's Nikayas by contemporary scholars in an attempt to identify possible changes and root phrasings. The āgamas' existence and similarity to the Sutta Pitaka are sometimes used by scholars to assess to what degree these teachings are a historically authentic representation of the Canon of early Buddhism.   Sometimes also the differences between them are used to suggest an alternative meaning to the accepted meaning of a suttra in either of the two recensions.

Sometimes the word āgama is used to refer not to a specific scripture, but to a class of scripture. In this case, its meaning can also encompass the Sutta-pitaka, which the Theravada tradition holds to be the oldest and most historically accurate representation of the teachings of the Buddha, together with the Vinaya.

In the 4th century Mahāyāna abhidharma work Abhidharmasamuccaya, Asanga refers to the collection which contains the āgamas as the Śrāvakapiṭaka, and associates it with the sravakas and pratyekabuddhas. Asaṅga classifies the Mahayana sutras as belonging to the Bodhisattvapiṭaka, which is designated as the collection of teachings for bodhisattvas.

There are four extant collections of āgamas, and one for which we have only references and fragments (the Kṣudrakāgama). The four extant collections are preserved in their entirety only in Chinese translation (āgama: 阿含經), although small portions of all four have recently been discovered in Sanskrit, and portions of four of the five āgamas are preserved in Tibetan.

The five Agamas include:
 The Dīrgha Āgama ("Long Discourses")/ the Dīgha Nikāya

 The Madhyama Āgama ("Middle-length Discourses")/ the Majjhima Nikāya
The Saṃyukta Āgama ("Connected Discourses")/ the Saṃyutta Nikāya
The Ekottara Āgama ("Numbered Discourses”)/ the Anguttara Nikāya
The Kṣudraka Āgama ("Minor Collection")/ the Khuddaka Nikāya

[TRƯỜNG A-HÀM  tương đương với TRƯỜNG BỘ – chép những bài pháp dài. 

TRUNG A-HÀM và TRUNG BỘ chép những bài pháp bậc trung.
TƯƠNG ƯNG BỘ tương đương với TẠP A-HÀM – chép những lời kinh có nội dung tượng tự nhau.

TĂNG NHẤT  và TĂNG CHI  – chép những bài sắp xếp theo con số. Riêng TIỂU BỘ KINH thì Pàli tạng mới có – ghi chép những câu kệ vắn tắt.]

As Walpola Rahula noted in his Gems of Buddhist Wisdom:

We must not confuse Hīnayāna with Theravāda because the terms are not synonymous. Theravāda Buddhism went to Sri Lanka during the 3rd Century BC when there was no Mahāyāna at all. Hīnayāna sects developed in India and had an existence independent from the form of Buddhism existing in Sri Lanka. Today there is no Hīnayāna sect in existence anywhere in the world. Therefore, in 1950 the World Fellowship of Buddhists inaugurated in Colombo unanimously decided that the term Hīnayana should be dropped when referring to Buddhism existing today in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, etc. This is the brief history of Theravāda, Mahayāna and Hīnayāna.

The Theravada school remained a presence on the Indian mainland long after its establishment in Sri Lanka, however. In addition, since the time of Rahula's writing considerable evidence has emerged indicating that Theravadins and Mahayanists interacted extensively in Sri Lanka throughout the first millennium CE, so any suggestion that there was no contact between the two would be incorrect.

Sources:
http://www.daophatngaynay.com/vn/kinh-dien/pali/12329-Khai-quat-lich-su-truyen-ba-kinh-dien-va-nhung-dac-diem-cua-kinh-tang-Nikaya.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinayana
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikaya
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Buddhist_schools
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandh%C4%81ran_Buddhist_Texts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sthaviravada


 

Buddhist Councils

Three months after the Buddha demised (entered mahaparinirvana) around c. 400 BCE, His disciples had a meeting to preserve His sayings, and the monastic disciplines or rules.  This was referred to as the first Buddhist Council under the patronage of King Ajatasatru and with Mahakasyapa presiding at Sattapanni caves, Rajgriha (now Rajgir).  The suttras were recited by Ananda, and the disciplines (Vinaya), by Upali.  The Sangha decided to keep all the rules of the Vinaya, even the lesser and minor rules.

The second Buddhist Council took place around 100 or 110 years after the Buddha’s demise (c. 4th century BCE).  It was initiated by a monk named Yasa, who found the lax practices of the Vesālī monks, known as Vajjiputtakas, unacceptable.  This time the Sangha decided on what was truly the Buddha’s authentic teachings, and what was not.  Basically, they pointed out ten points related to precepts, which they considered  as newly added to what the Buddha taught.  There were two groups: those who refused to accept the ten points (the Sthaviras), and those who wanted to keep them (Mahasamghikas).  These were the first two separate Buddhist schools.  According to the traditional Theravadin account, the dispute arose over the 'Ten Points.' The specific ten points were:

1. Storing salt in a horn.
2. Eating after midday.
3. Eating once and then going again to a village for alms.
4. Holding the Uposatha Ceremony with monks dwelling in the same locality.
5. Carrying out official acts when the assembly was incomplete.
6. Following a certain practice because it was done by one's tutor or teacher.
7. Eating sour milk after one had his midday meal.
8. Consuming strong drink before it had been fermented.
9. Using a rug which was not the proper size.
10. Using gold and silver.

There are records of several possible Third Councils.  According to the Theravāda commentaries and chronicles, the Third Buddhist Council was convened some time around c. 247 BCE (some thought it was between 200 and 234 years after the Buddha’s demise) by Mauryan King Asoka with the monk Moggaliputta Tissa presiding at Pātaliputra (now Patna).  This time the focus was to authenticate Buddhist scriptures, and to discard all impurities that got mixed up with Buddhism.   The Council proceeded to recite the scriptures once more, adding to the canon Moggaliputta Tissa's own book, Kathavatthu, a discussion of various dissenting Buddhist views now contained in the Theravāda Abhidhamma Pitaka.  Emissaries were sent to various countries in order to spread Buddhism.  The first two separate schools now divided into about 20 sects.  The Sthaviras (Thượng tọa bộ) at that time was called Vibhajyavada (Phân biệt thuyết bộ), and received the King’s support.  Vibhajyavada was predecessor of Tamrasatiyah (Đồng diệp bộ).  It was the Tamrasatiyah that introduced the complete five Nikaya scriptures, which Prince Mahinda later brought to Sri Lanka, and which had been circulated widely there.  Another sect, the Sarvastivada (Nhất thiết hữu bộ), which did not receive the King’s support because it emphasized discourse analysis and debate rather than disciplines, also came from the Sthaviras (Thượng tọa bộ).  This sect spread to the northeast (Kasmira), and it gradually developed well in the northern regions of India.

As a result, the Buddha’s original teachings were interpreted in various ways by different sects.  The most famous of the missionaries, and the main focus of interest for these Theravada histories, was Mahinda, who travelled to Sri Lanka where he founded the school we now know as Theravada.   In addition, Hinduism gradually penetrated into Buddhism and caused many confusions.

The five Nikayas continued to be passed down orally in Sri Lanka until the fourth Council meeting was held at Aluvihata Village, Sri Lanka around 83 BC.  At this meeting for the first time three Nikayas were written down on palm leaves.

Another Fourth Buddhist Council was held in the Sarvastivada tradition, said to have been convened by the Kushan emperor Kanishka, in 78 AD at Jalandhar or in Kashmir. It is said that Kanishka gathered five hundred bhikkhus in Kashmir, headed by Vasumitra, to systematize the Sarvastivadin Abhidharma texts, which were translated form earlier Prakrit vernacular languages into the classical language of Sankrit. It is said that during the council three hundred thousand verses and over nine million statements were compiled, a process which took twelve years to complete. Although the Sarvastivada are no longer extant as an independent school, its traditions were inherited by the Mahayana tradition.

Under King Kaniskha, the Fifth Council Meeting was convened early in the second century AD.  The Mahayana school with its tripitakas (the Agamas scriptures, Vinayana, and Abhidharma) was said to have its origin in this Fifth Council Meeting.

The Fifth Theravada Buddhist Council of 1871 took place in Mandalay, Burma, in the reign of King Mindon.  The chief objective of this meeting was to recite all the teachings of the Buddha, and examine them in minute detail to see if any of them had been altered, distorted or dropped.  It was presided over by three Elders, the Venerable Mahathera Jagarabhivamsa, the Venerable Narindabhidhaja, and the Venerable Mahathera Sumangalasami in the company of some two thousand four hundred monks (2,400). Their joint Dharma recitation lasted for five months. It was also the work of this council to approve the entire Tripitaka inscribed for posterity on seven hundred and twenty-nine marble slabs in the Burmese script before its recitation. This monumental task was done by the monks and many skilled craftsmen who upon completion of each slab had them housed in beautiful miniature 'pitaka' pagodas on a special site in the grounds of King Mindon's Kuthodaw Pagoda at the foot of Mandalay Hill where it and the so called 'largest book in the world', stands to this day. This Council is not generally recognized outside Burma.

The Sixth Buddhist Council (the Theravada Buddhist Council of 1954) took place at Kaba Aye, Yangon (Rangoon), 83 years after the Fifth Buddhist Council.  It was sponsored by the Burmese Government led by the then Prime Minister, the Honourable U Nu.  He authorized the construction of the Maha Passana Guha, the "great cave", an artificial cave very much like India's Sattapanni Cave where the first Buddhist Council had been held. Upon its completion The Council met on 17 May 1954.  As in the case of the preceding councils, its first objective was to affirm and preserve the genuine Dhamma and Vinaya. However it was unique insofar as the monks who took part in it came from eight countries. These two thousand five hundred learned Theravada monks came from Myanmar, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Germany.  The late Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw was appointed the noble task of asking the required questions about the Dhamma of the Venerable Bhadanta Vicittasarabhivamsa who answered all of them learnedly and satisfactorily. By the time this council met all the participating countries had had the Pali Tripiṭaka rendered into their native scripts, with the exception of India.  The traditional recitation of the Buddhist Scriptures took two years and the  Tripitaka and its allied literature in all the scripts were painstakingly examined and their differences noted down and the necessary corrections made and all the versions were then collated. It was found that there was not much difference in the content of any of the texts. Finally, after the Council had officially approved them, all of the books of the Tripitaka and their commentaries were prepared for printing on modern presses and published in the Burmese script. This notable achievement was made possible through the dedicated efforts of the two thousand five hundred monks and numerous lay people. Their work came to an end on the evening of Vasak, 24 May 1956, exactly two and a half millennia after Buddha's Parinibbana, according to the traditional Theravada dating.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org

Why Celebrate?

Why celebrate

when innocent kindergarteners

are scared to death

going to school the next day

having witnessed friends and teachers lying still

in pools of blood

not knowing why

Why celebrate

when firemen responded to calls for help

and were trapped and killed by the caller

 

Why celebrate

when neighbors  fear going outside, 

for they can hardly trust one another

and dare not offer help to the helpless

This senseless, cruel world

engulfed in greed for money and arms race

all day long

snugs down in its comfy, fanciful bed

with wild dream indifference

in pitch-dark nights

Barbaric silence

of stony hearts

Echoes of praying

for a caring neighborhood

where parents may stroll

Echoes of begging

for a peaceful neighborhood

where children freely roam and chase one another

around the playgrounds

and in school yards

Resonance in caves

of pitch-dark nights

Why celebrate

not knowing when and where is next?

---------

Some 12,000 people are murdered in the United States with guns every year.
2012, a year doomed with too much gun violence

Ten Noble Characteristics Which May Be Found in A True Spiritual Master

  According to the Mahayanasutralamkara, a true spiritual master usually possesses the following noble characteristics:

1.      Discipline (Following the precepts assiduously and diligently)

2.      Serenity/calmness

3.      Peacefulness

4.      Possessing more noble qualities than (His/Her) disciples

5.      Tirelessness/Indefatigability (possessing great efforts)

6.      Mastering scriptures/Possessing a wealth of knowledge about the Buddha’s teachings

7.      Sincere concerns for others/Loving kindness

8.      Possessing a thorough understanding of reality

9.      Skillfulness in teaching/training disciples

10.  Freedom from fear and frustration or despair

Source:

Universal Vehicle Discourse Literature (Mahayanasutralamkara) (Treasury of the Buddhist Sciences) by Lobsang Jamspal, Robert Thurman and the American Institute of Buddhist Studies translation committee. American Institute of Buddhist Studies. New York: 2004: ISBN 0-9753734-0-4

For more information, please go to “A True Buddhist Practitioner and/or Master” blog entry on February 28, 2012.

Stephane Hessel's Messages to the World: Indignez-vous!

A true democracy requires and insists on freedom of the press.

Only when man accedes to complete freedom can we have a democratic state in its ideal form.

The basic motive of the Resistance was indignation.

"As individuals, you are responsible" Jean-Paul Satre. 
The responsibility is that of the individual who will rely neither on a form of power nor on a god.

You must engage --your humanity demands it.
The worst attitude is indifference.

We are not dealing with a small elite anymore, whose actions we can clearly identify.  We are dealing with a vast interdependent world that is interconnected in unprecedented ways.

Two major challenges:
1. The grievous injustices inflicted on people deprived of the essential requirements for a decent life, not only in the third world --in Africa, Asia, Haiti, and elsewhere--but in the suburbs of our largest Western cities, where seclusion and poverty breeds hatred and revolt.  The widening gap between the very poor and very rich is made all the more insulting by the access the poor now have to the Internet and other forms of mass communication that highlight these inequalities.

2. The violation of the basic freedoms and fundamental rights.  In his 1941 State of the Union speech, Franklin Delano Roosevelt articulated the "Four Freedoms" he felt people "everywhere in the world" had a right to enjoy: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear.  The Four Freedom later served as the foundation for the charter of the United Nations, which was adopted in San Francisco on June 24, 1945, and served as the inspiration for the UN's Universal Declaration of human Rights, drafted under the chairmanship of FDR's widow, Eleanor Roosevelt.

Article 22 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international cooperation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each state, of the economic, social, and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality."

To the youth...: look around you and you will find the themes to justify your indignation...You will become aware of situations so deplorable they simply demand civil action.  Seek and you will find!

Violence is an unavoidable failure...the risk of resorting to violence is that it may only perpetuate violence
Jean-Paul Satre (1947)

Hopefulness and the hope for nonviolence must be favored over violence....
The messages of Gandhi, martin L. King Jr., and Nelson Mandela remain relevant even in a world where ideological confrontations and invasive totalitarianism have been overcome.  They are messages of hope, of faith in a society's ability to overcome conflict through mutual understanding and watchful patience.  To achieve this we must rely on our belief in human rights, the violation of which...must provoke our indignation.

The Western obsession with productivity and the accumulation of wealth has led the world into a crisis.

It is high time that integrity, justice, and sustainable development be allowed to prevail.

Source:

Stephane Hessel. Time for Outrage Indignez-Vous! (New York, NY: Hachette Book Group, 2010). 
ISBN: 978-1-4555-0972-0

Web Security -- How to Defense Yourself

Most important:
Passwords: Choose strong passwords.  A sequence of random upper and lower case letters, mixed with numbers and special characters is better than simple, single words or names that are easy to guess.  Do not use the same password for critical sites as for casual throwaways.

In public places with open wireless: Do not do anything important.  Make sure that connections use HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol with Security).  Your browser will show that you are connected with the HTTPS, and you can see an icon of a closed lock which indicates that the link is encrypted.  But HTTPS only encrypts the contents.

Attachments and downloading or installing: Do not click on to view attachments from strangers, or unexpected attachments from friends; don't automatically accept, click, or install when requested.  Don't download programs of dubious provenance.  Be wary about downloading and installing any software unless it comes from a trusted source.

Windows and Microsoft Office programs: Use anti-virus software.  Keep it up to date.  Do not click on the sites that offer to run a security check on you computer.  Turn off macros in Microsoft Office programs.  Disable ActiveX as much as you can.  Keep other software, like browser and operating system, up to date.

Cautious:
Turn off pop-ups and third-party cookies.  You should set up defenses for each browser you use.

Use add-ons like Adblock and Flashblock to reject advertising images.
Use a spam filter on your mail.
Turn off JavaScript in Adobe Reader.
Turn off services that you don't use.
Turn on the firewall on your computer.  It is a software that monitors incoming and outgoing network connsctions, and blosks those that violate access rules.
Use two-factor authentication on your important accounts if available.

Paranoid:
Disable HTML and JavaScript in your mail reader.
Use NoScript to limit JavaScript, and Ghostery to disable trackers.
Turn off all cookies except for sites that you permit.
Use less-frequently targeted systems (Linux or Mac OS X, instead of Windows; Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Opera instead of Internet Explorer...)

The same precautions apply to cell phones, too.

Source:

Brian W. Kernighan.  D  Is for Digital –What a Well-Informed Person Should Know About Computers and Communications.  Published by DisforDigital.net; 2011.  ISBN-13: 978-1463733896

ISBN-10: 1463733895, pp. 177-178.

Leadership and Climate Change

There is a long history of bad things happening, people waking up and then going right back to sleep.  The thing that keeps people from going back to sleep is political leaders exercising what they are paid for, namely, leadership.  We do need that sort of leadership at all levels, including the presidential level.  The rate of climate change is running ahead at this point of our ability to solve the problem.
Climate change has always been tomorrow's problem, but sometime you've got to grapple with it.  That time is now.

Michael Oppenheimer
Wilson School and GeoSciences Professor, Princeton University
                                                           
Source:
The Daily Princetonian, Thursday November 8, 2012, Vol. CXXXVI No. 103, p. 3.

Problems of Digital Technology

Personal Privacy:
Since our personal data are continuously being collected for commercial and governmental purposes, our privacy is diminishing.  Once our personal information is on the web, it remains there forever.
Surveillance Technology:
Tiny cameras, microphones, and web tracking and recording where our cell phones are...all these continue to improve with exponentially decreasing cost of storage and processing.  Our lives are being recorded digitally with or without our knowing it.
Security:
We must be aware of potential cyber-attack and cyber-warfare at all levels, individuals, corporations, and governments.
Copyright:
It is now possible to make unlimited copies of digital material and distributed them throughout the world at no cost.  Copyright and fair use are being replaced by licensing, and digital rights management
Patents:
With more and more computer devices controlled by software, how to protect the legitimate interests of innovators and researched patents?
Resource Allocation:
Those who already have the allocation (big telecom companies) have a great advantage.
Jurisdiction:
With information traveling everywhere, business and social practices may be legal in one jurisdiction but illegal in others.
Control:
Individuals want to limit the control from governments and companies; but the playing fields are far from levels.

Source:

Brian W. Kernighan.  D  Is for Digital –What a Well-Informed Person Should Know About Computers and Communications.  Published by DisforDigital.net; 2011.  ISBN-13: 978-1463733896

ISBN-10: 1463733895

Meditation, Self Examination and Self Reflection

Mind training and meditation are fundamentally self examination and self reflection.  Indeed, they aim at improving oneself spiritually in order to develop wisdom. 

In Buddhist contemplation, the practitioner observes minute changes in his/her body, feelings (sensations), thoughts, and all phenomena (internal and external) from second to second as long as s/he is awake.  This observation practice helps to develop a detachment attitude necessary to investigate all phenomena, and to cultivate an awareness of the unstable, hence empty, nature of reality.  Gradually, after years of mind training and observation, the practitioner's view of all phenomena will be fundamentally transformed.  S/he will see things as they really are.  S/he is no longer trapped in the clouds (veils) of wrong views so common among human beings.

In Buddhism the cultivation of the right view is the first and foremost condition for spiritual development.  It is certainly difficult to develop a view against that of  the multitude.  That's why genuine Buddhists are actually those who go against the flow.  They see things quite differently from others, because they see the true nature of reality.

Searching

In the vast blue sky
You and I, two lone lost birds
Searching for each other.

Most Venerable Maha Thera Thích Minh Châu (1918-2012) --An Exemplary and Unique Bhikkhu

Many have written about Most Venerable Maha Thera Thích Minh Châu's (1918-2012) life and works.  In fact, there is much more one may learn from Him, for His life style, speech and manners... all seemed to send us some Dharma messages.  Those who have worked for Him and known Him for a long time, whether they are Buddhists and non-Buddhists, certainly have benefited a lot from this exemplary and unique Bhikkhu's personality and character.

The Most Venerable Maha Thera was a taciturn person with an unforgettably kind smile on His bright round face.  His half-open, half-closed eyes looked gently and steadily at things in front of Him as if He were in deep meditation.  He was fully aware of what was going on around Him, but was not actually disturbed by any of the surrounding phenomena.  Before His body got weak (due to the Parkinson's disease which he seemed to have contracted in the early 1980s), he would walk agilely and energetically.  Besides the time reserved for His Dharma practice and dissemination, from early dawn to late at night, He would be sitting at the desk either in His own room upstairs in Van Hanh Zen Monastery, or in His Office in the Buddhist Institute located at the same address.  He would focus on His work tirelessly with great concentration.  Occasionally there were some guests, visitors, or disciples whom He had to receive.  Then, near the end of the day, He would spend His late afternoons sitting alone in His simple bamboo rocking chair on the balcony, looking into the void in front of Him in that meditative posture which was always part of Him.

He ate simple vegetarian meals, and preferred salt to soy sauce.  He often drank tea, and usually had a glass of  milk in the afternoon.  He had a small, old grey car which Venerable Thich Tam Duc, one of His disciples, would drive to take Him when He needed to go to the airport, or some temples and places for meetings with government authorities or Buddhist dignitaries.

He was ordained and trained in a Mahayana temple in Hue, Central Vietnam.  However, He had chosen to wear the saffron Theravada robe since He studied Buddhism in Sri Lanka and India in 1952 or later in 1953.  After He returned to Vietnam in 1964, he continued to wear the Theravada robe, even though He lived in Mahayana temples.  It was no wonder that He would be easily recognizable among other Vietnamese monks in brown or grey robes. The saffron robe not only made him unique; it also reflected His life-long vow and aspiration, and His genuine view about Buddhism.  Nearly all His life He had spent searching for, translating, and disseminating the Buddha's authentic teachings in Pali.  He taught and practiced living in  harmony among differences, for He profoundly understood the universal laws of interdependence and  interconnectedness.  To Him, diverse forms and names are human labeling.  Like sea water that has only one taste of salt, the Buddha's Dharma has only the taste of liberation.  Different Buddhist schools or sects are rivers that will eventually pour into the sea, and thus their minor differences will dissolve, and they all will have the same taste of the Buddha's Dharma.  In this light of wisdom, He had helped to train generations of monks and nuns in Vietnam to live and work together in peace and harmony with no discrimination whatsoever. 

The Most Venerable Maha Thera was charismatic, calm and taciturn, but He would never try to impress others.  He would scarecely talk about Himself.  In His speech, He always used the pronoun "we" to refer to Himself, instead of "I."  He would not want to build big temples nor accept many disciples.  In His Dharma talks, He usually said that each person should be his or her own torch.  He was a simple and task-oriented bhikkhu, and a very caring human.  Once in 1988, despite His busy schedule, He managed time to come to the hospital to visit His translator who was also an instructor at the Buddhist School of Higher Studies (former name of the Buddhist Institute in Ho Chi Minh City) , and who had just recovered after a narrow escape from a traffic accident.

Both before and after 1975, his main focus was always on Buddhist education, and on how to disseminate the Buddha's authentic teachings based on Pali sutras to His Vietnamese Buddhists and laypeople.  He set a very clear goal for Himself when He left Vietnam for further Buddhist training in 1952: to study Buddhism as it was originally taught by the Buddha Himself over 2,500 years ago, and, through formal education, to teach Buddhists and laypeople how to apply what the Buddha taught to their daily life, so that they might benefit from Buddhist teachings in their own lives, and bring peace and harmony to life on earth.  From His young adulthood to the end of His life, He devotedly served Buddhism, never perturbed by any comments or criticisms.  With persistence and perseverance, He kept working on what He had vowed to accomplish in life.  He was solid like a mountain, not moved or disturbed by what others said about Him.  Following the Buddha's example, He would never argue with anybody in the mundane world.

During His Dharma talks one could find peace and joy, and the Dharma taste of liberation right here and now.  He highly revered the Buddha's words, and would present the sutra as it had been originally recorded from the Buddha's times.  In His translations, He would retain the repetitions in the sutra, word for word, knowing that it was the best way for one to absorb and benefit from sutras.  Listening to the Most Venerable Maha Thera, one might have the impression as if one were reliving the Buddha;'s times, and listening to the Buddha Himself.

Near the end of His life, despite His declining health, the Most Venerable Maha Thera kept on teaching, translating, and completing tasks the Buddhist Sangha assigned Him.  He did not stop working until He became too weak and had to rely on a wheel-chair, and the help of His close disciples.  He could have received medical treatment in the 1980s, but He probably refused to go to Japan for any treatment or surgery.  The reason of his refusal might probably be that He did not want to waste people's time and money, for He had already known Parkinson's was uncurable.
 
     

Most Venerable Maha Thera Thích Minh Châu (1918-2012) -- His Legacy

Studying the life and works of Most Venerable Maha Thera Thích Minh Châu (1918-2012), we may learn the following lessons:

1. Persistence and Perseverance
2. One Should Be One's Own Torch
3. Wisdom Is Our Mission (Duy Tue Thi Nghiep)
4. No Discrimination Between Buddhist Schools (The Mahayana, the Hinayana, the Theravada...all have the same taste of liberation)
5. Compassion and Wisdom Go Together
6. Engaged Buddhism Is Feasible in All Situations
7. The Importance of Education and Training

Most Venerable Maha Thera Thích Minh Châu (1918-2012) - Part VIII

Serving the Nation and the Sangha in Foreign Affairs

With his profound knowledge and excellent capabilities in secular academics, he was assigned many other importsant tasks in foreign affairs. 

In June, 1965 he visited and gave a lecture at Kamazawa, Taisho, Japan.

In 1967 he participated in a Conference on Education at Yale University, USA.

In June, 1968 he participated in the World Conference on Education for University Presidents held in South Korea.

Near the end of 1968 he represented presidents of universities in South Vietnam to participate in the International Conference on Education held in Mexico.

He also participated in many thematic international conferences.  At the Fifth Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace (ABCP) in 1982 in Ulanbator (Mongolia), he was elected to become a member of its Executive Board (1982-1985) and its Vice-President. 

In June, 1983 he participated in the World Peace Conference Against Nuclear Weapons held in Praha, Czechoslovakia.

In May, 1984 he was head of a delegation to participate in the Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace held in New Dehli, India.  At this Conference he met the Indian President Zuil Singh.

In October, 1984 he led the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha delegation to participate in the World Buddhist Conference on “Buddhism and National Cultures” in New Dehli, India.

In February, 1985 he participated in the Round Table Conference on “Dangers to Our Sacred Life” in Moscow, USSR.

In November, 1985 he participated in the Sixth ABCP in Hanoi.

In May , 1986 he again participated in the World Round Table Conference in Moscow, USSR.

In February, 1987 he led the Vietnam Buddhist Delegation to participate in the International Peace Conference in the USSR.

In February, 1986 he was the Secondary Leader of the Delegation to participate in the Seventh ABCP Conference held in Vientiane, Laos.  At this Conference he was invited to continue his position as ABCP Vice-President, and member of the Executive Board of the International ABCP.   At the same time he was assigned the President of the National ABCP Center in Việt Nam.

In January, 1989 he attended the Conference on Religions and Peace held in Monash, Australia.

In August, 1989 he led the Việt Nam Buddhist Sangha Delegation to participate in the Conference on Buddhism and Leadership in Peace at Ulanbator, Mongolia.

In October, 1989 he led the Việt Nam Buddhist Sangha Delegation in a friendly visit to the Japan Buddhist Sangha in Tokyo.

In September, 1990 he led the Việt Nam Buddhist Sangha Delegation to participate in the ABCP Eighth International Conference in Mongolia.

In October, 1990 he led a delegation to participate a conference on religions and peace in Bali, South Italy.

In October, 1991 he led a Vietnam delegation to participate in another conference of religious leaders in Matla, Italy.

In November, 1991 he led a delegation to participate in a conference on Buddhism and Leadership for Peace in Seoul, Korea.

In November, 1992 he was head of a delegation at the ABCP International Conference in Colombo, Sri-Lanka. 

In March, 1993 he presided the Conference on Buddhist Ethics in Our Times in Ho Chi Minh City.

In April, 1993 as President  of Việt Nam ABCP Center he presided the International Conference on Arms Disarmament in Hanoi.

In October, 1993 he was present at the International Buddhist Sangha Conference in Taiwan.

In March, 1994 together with Most Venerable Thiện Siêu he led a Buddhist delegation of pilgrims to India to visit the Buddha’s relics. 

In September, 1994 he participated in the International Buddhist Sangha Conference in Vancouver, Canada.

In 1995 he presided at the Conference on Buddhist Education in Our Times in Ho Chi Minh City.

In August 1995 he led the Buddhist delegation to visit and preside at a Buddhist conference in Paris, France.

In May, 1996 he was offered an Honorary Doctoral degree by the Royal University of Mahachulalongkorn,Thailand, for his colossal accomplishments in the Tripitaka translation and education.

In 2000 with his great contributions to the Dharma, and the Socialist Nation of Vietnam, he was awarded the secondary Medal of Independence.

In 2012 he was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Medal.

His Last Days

After what to be done was done, now was the time for him to resign, and live in profound quiet and meditation, with close disciples nearby.  In 2006 he retired completely, leaving behind his translations of the suttas, in equilibrium with no discrimination between the Mahayana or the Hinayana, only the Buddha’s liberation doctrines that he had tiredlessly taught for over 70 years.  Out of his 95-year lifespan, over 70 years he had served the Dharma, the Sangha, and the Nation.  He had opened schools to train monks, nuns, and lay people to serve the Sangha and the Nation. 

He had left this life, perhaps to enter the eternal realm of Nirvana, who knows, but his legacy of serving the Dharma, the Sangha, and the Nation lives on with us from North to South Vietnam, at Tường Vân Temple, as well as at Vạn Hạnh Zen Monastery, and even abroad.

Namo Gassho to the Revered Bardo of the Most Venerable Maha Thera, the Abbot of Tường Vân Temple, the Founder of Vạn Hạnh Zen Monastery, A Member of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha Senate, and Vice-Partriarch of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha!   

Source:
http://www.nguoiaolam.net/2012/09/hoa-thuong-thich-minh-chau-tieu-su-cong.html#.UEomRpHZKCk

Most Venerable Maha Thera Thích Minh Châu (1918-2012)--Part VII

Building Educational Facilities

When he returned to Vietnam, with the order of the Sangha, and together with Most Venerables Trí Thủ, and Nhất Hạnh, he opened a Buddhist College at Pháp Hội Temple.  Most Venerable Trí Thủ was its President, and he, the Vice-President in charge of administration.  In 1965 with the permission of the Ministry of Education, the College started its Department of Letters and Humanities, of which Most Venerable Thiên Ân was invited to become Chair.  At that time, the temporary location for teaching and learning was Xá Lợi Temple. 

At the end of 1965 the Sangha decided to turn the College into a research University named Vạn Hạnh University.  He was assigned its Rector, and also Chair of the Department of Buddhist Studies.  This year the University was relocated at 222 Trương Minh Giảng Street (Lê Văn Sĩ Street nowadays), with more departments in Social Sciences and Education.  At first he supervised as Chair of these departments.  Later he invited Professors Tôn Thất Thiện, Bùi Tường Huân, and Dr.Thích Nguyên Hồng to help him with the positions.  He also helped to establish a Foregn Language Learning Center on the campus.

In 1972 the University Board of Regents decided to buy another site on Võ Di Nguy Street (Nguyễn Kiệm Street nowadays) for Applied Sciences.  He came there to work as Department Chair.  It was on this site that he presided a ceremony to celebrate the Tenth-Year Anniversary of the establishment of Vạn Hạnh University (1964-1974).  Present at this Ceremony were Buddhist dignitaries, the University professors, and over 10,000 students.  

On this site, in 1984 he founded the School of Buddhist Advanced Studies (the Institute of Vietnam Buddhist Studies in Ho Chi Minh City nowadays).  He became its president, and presided the Ceremony to ordain 60 monks and nuns of the School’s first year.  Previously, in 1981 the Sangha opened the School of Buddhist Advanced Studies, Campus I, at Quán Sứ Temple, Hanoi.  He was also invited to be its President.  The School soon became the Institute of Vietnam Buddhist Studies in Hanoi.

At the Institute of Vietnam Buddhist Studies in Ho Chi minh Coity, he had continuously recruited, and trained monks and nuns for five successive academic years at the Bachelor’s degree level.  These students after their graduation would help staff and serve the Sangha.

On October 20, 1997 he laid the first brick to begin the renovation of the Institute of Vietnam Buddhist Studies in Ho Chi Minh City.   The renovation continued for two years, and completed on April 23,1999 with a grand Opening Ceremony.

Responsibilities towards Buddhists at His Disciples.

Although he was busy with so many Sangha tasks, the education of monks and nuns, and his own translating and writing, he always remembered his responsibilities towards the Buddhist disciples at the Temple where he came from.  After the demise of Most Venerable Vĩnh Thừa, Abbot of Tường Vân Temple and a successor of Most Venerable Thích Tịnh Khiết, he became the Abbot of the Temple in 1984 with the agreement of the Sangha and other dignitaries during a ceremony where Most Venerables Thích Đôn Hậu, Thích Mật Hiển, Thích Thiện Siêu and others were present.  As its Abbot, he had been involved in the monastic training for his local disciples, and the construction and renovation of some parts of the Temple, such as the shrine of the previous abbots, and the stupa for his Master.

At Vạn Hạnh Monastery in 2001, he had contributed to the renovation of its main shrine and hall, which was completed in October, 2004.  From September 2004 to October 2006 he ordered the construction of the new monk residence hall on this site. 

 

(To be continued)

Source:
http://www.nguoiaolam.net/2012/09/hoa-thuong-thich-minh-chau-tieu-su-cong.html#.UEomRpHZKCk

Most Venerable Maha Thera Thích Minh Châu (1918-2012)--Part VI

His Works and Translation

Although he was very busy with the Sangha tasks, Congress responsibilities, and training monks and nuns, he continued to translate and give Dharma talks.  Since his return to Vietnam, he had never neglected writing and translating, and was a prolific scholar.  His works include:

1.The Pali-VietnameseTranslations of the following Pali Suttas:

• the Dīgha Nikāya, the collection of long (Pāḷi: dīgha) discourses
• the Majjhima Nikāya, the collection of middle-length (majjhima) discourses
• the Samyutta Nikāya, the collection of thematically linked (samyutta) discourses
• the Anguttara Nikāya, the "gradual collection" (discourses grouped by content enumerations)
• the Khuddaka Nikāya, the "minor collection":·  Dhammapada; Udana; Itivuttaka; Vimanavatthu; Theragatha;Therigatha; Jataka

2.The Pali-Vietnamese Translation of Abhidhamma Atthasangaha

3. Books in English

 Hsuan T'sang, The Pilgrim and Scholar (Bhikkhuni Trí Hải translated this into Vietnamese);Fa-Hsien, The Unassuming Pilgrim (Bhikkhuni Trí Hải translated this into Vietnamese; Milindapannha And Ngasenabhikhustra - A comparative study (Nguyên Tâm - Trần Phương Lan translated this into Vietnamese); The Chinaese Madhyama gama and The Pli Majjhima Nikaya (A comparative study) - His doctoral dissertation/Luận án Tiến sĩ Phật học (Bhikkhuni Trí Hải translated this into Vietnamese); Some Teachings Of Lord Buddha On Peace, Harmony, And Humandignity

4. Books in Vietnamese: Buddhist Dharma Phật pháp (co-author); Return to the Buddha's Land Đường về xứ Phật (co-author); The Buddha's Last Days and His Last Teachings Những ngày và những lời dạy cuối cùng của đức Phật; The Mahayana and Its Relationship with the Hinayana Đại thừa và sự liên hệ với Tiểu thừa (translation); A Pali Teaching Course Sách dạy Pali; An Outline of the Majjhima Nikāya Dàn bài Kinh Trung bộ (to be published); The Dīgha Nikāya in a Nutshell Toát yếu Kinh Trường bộ (to be published); The Majjhima Nikāya in a Nutshell Toát yếu Kinh Trung bộ (to be published); Filial Piety in BuddhismChữ Hiếu trong đạo Phật (co-author); Practice Meditation Hành thiền; A History of Sakyamuni Buddha Lịch sử đức Phật Thích ca; Light Up Your Own Torch Hãy tự mình thắp đuốc lên mà đi; Dharma and Happiness Chánh pháp và hạnh phúc; Buddhist Ethics and Human Happiness Đạo đức Phật giáo và hạnh phúc con người (2002); Short Stories in the Dharma Những mẫu chuyện đạo (2004); The Buddha, a Great Educator Đức Phật nhà đại giáo dục (2004); Our Buddha Đức Phật của chúng ta (2005); Gradually Open Your Compassion, and Your Suffering Will Come to a Close.  Mở từ mở ra, khổ đau khép lại (2006); What the Buddha Taught Những gì đức Phật đã dạy (2007); Understanding and Practicing the Dharma Hiểu và hành Chánh pháp (2008); Defeating Mara Chiến thắng ác ma (2009)

(To be continued)

Sources:
http://www.nguoiaolam.net/2012/09/hoa-thuong-thich-minh-chau-tieu-su-cong.html#.UEomRpHZKCk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agama
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikaya

Most Venerable Maha Thera Thích Minh Châu (1918-2012)--Part V

His Role in Uniting the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha

In 1979 together with Most Venerables Thích Trí Thủ, Thiện Hào, Thiện Châu, Từ Hạnh, Hiển Pháp, and Buddhist laypeople such as Đỗ Trung Hiếu, Võ Đình Cường, Tống Hồ Cầm in the South, and other dignitaries in the North, he helped to found the National Buddhist Committee for Mobilizing and Uniting the Sangha.  This Committee played a key role in uniting all Buddhist sects throughout the country.  In 1981 the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha was officially formed.  He was invited to become its Vice-President and General Secretary successively for three terms (1981-1997).  

Member of the Congress:

The National Front selected him to represent Ho Chi Minh City  people at the Congress.  Since May, 1981 through 2002 he had served as a member of the Congress from the Seventh to the Tenth Terms.  He was also elected as Vice-President of the Social Sciences Council of Ho Chi Minh City.

In 1989  he requested the Sangha that it ask for permission from the government to establish the Vietnam Buddhist Studies Institute.  Two years later in 1991 he formed a Council to direct the translation and publish the Vietnam Tripitaka, of which he was the President.  Hence, the Vietnam Tripitaka came into existence.   
In Novemebr 1997 at the National Conference of Buddhist Delegates of the IV th Term (1997-2002), he was elected Member of the Senate Council, and Vice-President of the Internal Affairs Council of the Sangha for two successive terms (1997-2007).  In December, 2007 at the VI th-Term National Conference of Buddhist Delegates (2007-2012) all delegates elected him to be Vice- President of the Sangha Senate.

(To be continued)

Source:
http://www.nguoiaolam.net/2012/09/hoa-thuong-thich-minh-chau-tieu-su-cong.html#.UEomRpHZKCk

Most Venerable Maha Thera Thích Minh Châu (1918-2012)--Part IV

Dharma Dissemination in His Homeland

In April 1964 he returned to Vietnam.  To express his gratitude to Buddha, and his Master and other teachers, he dedicated his life to Buddhist tasks, such as translating the Tripitaka from Pali into Vietnamese, opening a Buddhist University named Vạn Hạnh, and much more.  He was assigned many positions:  Vice-President of the Saigon Buddhist Studies College (1964-1965), Rector of Vạn Hạnh University, Chair of the Culture and Education Task Force in the United Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (1965-1975). When Vietnam became a united country, between 1975 and 1976, he passed on his responsibilities about Vạn Hạnh University to the Ministry of Education.  In 1976 he retreated to the University second site located in Phú Nhuận District, and turned it into Vạn Hạnh Buddhist Studies Institute.  It was then at this Institute that he wholeheartedly focused on his translation the Tripitaka from Pali into Vietnamese.  He also resumed teaching Buddhist Dharma to monks, nuns and laypeople.  Thanks to his suggestion to the Municipal Buddhist Association in Hồ Chí Minh City, for the first time after Vietnam became a united country, regular Dharma classes for Buddhists had become available for everyone after the hours and on Sunday mornings.  He joined other dignitaries such as Most Venerables Đôn Hậu, Thiện Châu… to teach at Ấn Quang, or Xá LợI Temples.  Since then the Buddhism studies movement started to warm up, and developed with Sunday morning classes.

(To be continued)

Source:
http://www.nguoiaolam.net/2012/09/hoa-thuong-thich-minh-chau-tieu-su-cong.html#.UEomRpHZKCk

Most Venerable Maha Thera Thích Minh Châu (1918-2012)--Part III

Studying Abroad

While studying the Tripitaka in Chinese, he found that there were various ways to represent the Pali and Sanskrit Buddhist terminology, which made the texts more difficult to understand.  That was why he consulted his Master and the Buddhist Studies Association in Central An nam, and asked for their permission, so that he could go abroad and study the Tripitaka in Sri-lanka and India.  He vowed to translate the original Tripitaka into Vietnamese to contribute to Vietnam Buddhism.

In 1952 with the Sangha’s and his Master’s permission, he left Vietnam for Sri-Lanka to study Pali and English in Colombo.  Three years later the University of Sri-Lanka gave him the title Dharma Teacher (Saddammcariya).  After that he went to India and received further training at Bihar University, which belongs to the famous Nava Nalanda Mahavihara.  As an internation student monk, he had an opportunity to meet President Hồ Chí Minh during the latter’s visit to India in 1957.  In 1958 he completed his Bachelor’s degree in Pali and English, and finished his Master of Arts degree in Pali and Abhidhamma as his class velodictorian.  Three years later in September 1961, he became the first Vietnamese monk to earn his Doctoral degree in India with an excellent thesis, The Chinese Madhyama Àgama and the Pàli Mahjjhima Nikàya - A Comparative Study.  The Indian President at the time conferred the degree to him with a lot of admiration.  From 1962 to 1963 he was teaching at Bihar University.  During these years he wrote three works in English: H'suan T'sang, The Pilgrim and Scholar; Fa-Hsien, the Unassuming Pilgrim; and Milindapanha and Nàgasenabhikhusùtra - A Comparative Study.

In 1964 he returned to Vietnam, continued his translation work, and served Vietnam Buddhism in all his capacities.

(To be continued)

Note:
Nālandā was an ancient center of higher learning in Bihar, India. The site of Nalanda is located in the Indian state of Bihar, about 88 kilometers south east of Patna, and was a Buddhist center of learning from the fifth or sixth century CE to 1197 CE. Nalanda flourished between the reign of the Śakrāditya (whose identity is uncertain and who might have been either Kumara Gupta I or Kumara Gupta II) and 1197 CE, supported by patronage from the Hindu Gupta rulers as well as Buddhist emperors like Harsha and later emperors from the Pala Empire.

Sources:
http://www.nguoiaolam.net/2012/09/hoa-thuong-thich-minh-chau-tieu-su-cong.html#.UEomRpHZKCk

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalanda 

Most Venerable Maha Thera Thích Minh Châu (1918-2012)--Part II

Becoming a Bikkhu 

While working for the An Nam Buddhist Studies Association, he had opportunities to study and understand the Mahayana doctrines in depth from Dr. Lê Đình Thám, and other dignitaries from Thừa thiên-Huế monasteries.  He started to live in Tường Vân Temple, and actually practiced the monastic life there, just like other novices.  Soon he decided to denounce the mundane life. 

In 1946 he became the disciple of Most Venerable Trừng Thông Thích Tịnh Khiết, the First Patriarch of the United Vietnam Buddhist Sangha at Tường Vân Temple, Hạ I Village, Thủy Xuân Borough, Huế.  His Dharma name was Tâm Trí.  He spent many years serving and learning from his Master, doing monastic chores, and worked for the Association.  Whatever he did, he was always punctual and dedicated.  He was at the time a Dharma teacher, but also a novice practicing monastic life at the Temple.  In due time he was allowed to take the major vows in 1949 (the Lunar Year of the Ox) at the Hộ Quốc Ceremony, Báo Quốc Temple, at which his own Master presided.  He now was Bikkhu Thích Minh Châu, also called Viên Dung.  After taking his major vows, he continued to work for the Association in Central An Nam, taught Buddhist Dharma at many other temples and associations, served as a guide to the youth in the Family of Buddhists, and contributed articles to Buddhist journals such as Viên Âm, Từ Quang, Liên Hoa…. In 1951 when the Association established its first Bồ Đề High School in Huế, he was assigned its Principal.  In 1951 he became an official delegate at the Buddhist Conference held at Từ ĐàmTemple to unite the Buddhist Associations in three regions of Vietnam.

(To be continued)

Source:
http://www.nguoiaolam.net/2012/09/hoa-thuong-thich-minh-chau-tieu-su-cong.html#.UEomRpHZKCk

Most Venerable Maha Thera Thích Minh Châu (1918-2012)- Part I

Most Venerable Maha Thera Thich Minh Chau, one colossal figure of Vietnam Buddhism, and an outstanding disciple of the late Most Venerable Thích Tịnh Khiết, who was the First Patriarch of the United Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, passed away on September 1, 2012.  The Memorial Services are now taking place at Vạn Hạnh Zen Monastery (750 Nguyen Kiem, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) till Sept 9, 2012, when the Maha Thera's body will be enshrined in a stupa reserved for him in the Monastery yard.

Biography

Most Ven. Maha Thera Thích Minh Châu was born Đinh Văn Nam on Oct. 20, 1918 (the Lunar Year of the Horse) at Kim Thành Village (Quảng Nam Povince).  His ancestors came from Kim Khê Village, Nghi Long Borough, Nghi Lộc District, Nghệ An Province.  His father was Đinh Văn Chấp, and his mother was Lê Thị Đạt.  The family was large with eleven children among whom Đinh Văn Nam was the fourth.  His father got his doctoral degree at the age of 21 (in 1913, the Lunar Year of the Ox, under King Duy Tân).  Influenced by the family’s educational and academic tradition from early childhood, he was an avid and hard-working learner whose wisdom developed beyond his age.

In 1939 he completed the Indochina Certificate.  In 1940 he earned his High School Diploma at Khải Định High School- Huế (Quốc Học High School nowadays).  Soon he was offered the position as Secretary of the Khâm sứ (the Municipal Government Administration).  After one year, having witnessed so much injustice, and discontented with his job, he resigned. 

Studying Buddhism

In 1932 the An Nam Buddhist Studies Association (Hội An Nam Phật học) came into existence.  With it came the blooming Buddhist Reformation Movement in the Central (of Vietnam, An Nam at the time).  Dr. Tâm Minh Lê Đình Thám, an intellectual patriot and also a Buddhist, was elected President of the Association, and Editor of the Viên Âm Buddhist Journal.  The Buddhist Studies Movement which he organized attracted many contemporary intellectual patriots such as Ngô Điền, Phạm Hữu Bình, Võ Đình Cường….

Together with his younger brother Đinh Văn Vinh, Đinh Văn Nam started to participate in the movement since 1936, and was selected as Chief Secretary of the Association.  From then on he became one of the key figures in the patriotic movements against the French colonialism, and those that mobilized the Vietnamese youth to study Buddhism.  In those years he often held a leading role in the development of Buddhist Studies Movements in 17 provinces in Central An Nam. He was one of the founders of the Union of Buddhist Ethics Studies (Đoàn Phật học Đức dục), and the Family of Buddhist Reformers (Gia đình Phật hóa phổ), the former name of the Family of Vietnam Buddhists.
In the Buddhist Reformation Movement from Huế to other Central provinces, from the beginning, he already had major contributions, such as mobilizing Buddhists to do charitable works and to support the Báo Quốc Buddhist School and Kim Sơn Monastery, especially during the famine under the occupation of Japanese fascists.  He assisted to relocate monks to the South and other places where the living and practicing conditions were better.

(To be continued)

Source:
http://www.nguoiaolam.net/2012/09/hoa-thuong-thich-minh-chau-tieu-su-cong.html#.UEomRpHZKCk